Freedom had been waiting just on the other side of her bedroom window!
-- Narrator (Book of Generations)

Importance: After Justine sneaks out with Russell Gibson, she feels a sense of liberation. This moment illustrates her mistaken youthful belief that freedom was attached to another person. She thought that Russell could grant her the escape from her home life that she needed. Shortly thereafter she does the same thing with her father, and years later she continues the same pattern with another series of men. Though this line appears early in the novel, it illustrates Justine's innate longing for a sense of belonging that she believes is just out of reach.

Reney doesn't understand what makes it so hard for her mom to keep still.
-- Narrator (The Year 2003 Minus 20)

Importance: When Reney is just a child, she obsessively observes and calculates everything Justine does. However, she remains unable to understand where her mother's restlessness originates. Justine's unrest is not limited to...